Shopify charges two types of fees on every sale: a payment processing fee (similar to
Stripe's rate) and a separate transaction fee if you use a third-party payment gateway
instead of Shopify Payments. Understanding both is essential for accurate margin calculation.
Shopify fee structure by plan
Plan
Monthly fee
Processing rate
Transaction fee (3rd party)
Basic
$39
2.9% + $0.30
2.0%
Shopify
$105
2.6% + $0.30
1.0%
Advanced
$399
2.4% + $0.30
0.5%
The transaction fee applies only when you use a payment processor other than Shopify
Payments (Stripe, PayPal, etc.). Using Shopify Payments eliminates this fee entirely.
Shopify Payments vs third-party gateways
For most merchants, Shopify Payments is the cheapest option because it eliminates the
transaction fee. A $100 sale on the Basic plan via Stripe costs $2.90 + $0.30 + $2.00 = $5.20,
compared to just $3.20 with Shopify Payments — a 62% difference.
Reasons to use a third-party gateway anyway:
- Your country isn't supported by Shopify Payments (Shopify Payments is available in 17+ countries)
- You need specific fraud tools, subscriptions, or features only available in your existing gateway
- High-risk product categories that Shopify Payments doesn't support
Frequently asked questions
Does the monthly plan fee factor into per-sale cost?
The calculator shows per-transaction fees only. For a full cost-per-sale picture including
the plan fee, divide your monthly plan fee by your number of monthly transactions and add it
to the per-transaction total. At 100 sales/month on the Basic plan, the plan overhead is $0.39/sale.
Should I upgrade my plan to get lower fees?
The upgrade math: if moving from Basic to Shopify ($66/month more) saves 0.3% + eliminates
1% transaction fee (if on 3rd-party): on $66/$0.013 = $5,077/month in sales you break even.
Above that volume, upgrading pays off.
Shopify Fees vs WooCommerce — Total Cost Comparison
Full cost breakdown comparing Shopify and WooCommerce — platform fee, transaction fee, hosting, and break-even GMV.
Shopify and WooCommerce have fundamentally different cost structures. Shopify
charges a predictable monthly fee; WooCommerce charges $0 platform fee but
requires hosting and more maintenance.
Monthly cost comparison
Cost component
Shopify Basic
WooCommerce
Platform fee
$39/mo
$0
Hosting
included
$10–25/mo
Transaction fee (Stripe)
2.0% (non-SP) or 0% (SP)
0%
Card processing (Stripe)
2.0% + 25¢ (SP)
2.9% + 30¢
Domain
~$2/mo
~$2/mo
Maintenance / plugins
$0
$10–50/mo
At what GMV does WooCommerce become cheaper?
With Shopify Payments (no transaction fee) at $22k/month GMV on Basic:
- Shopify: $39 + ($22,000 × 0.02) = $39 + $440 = $479/mo
- WooCommerce + Stripe: $20 + ($22,000 × 0.029) = $20 + $638 = $658/mo
At this volume, Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments is actually cheaper than
WooCommerce + Stripe — because Shopify Payments (2.0% + 25¢) is cheaper than
Stripe's standard rate (2.9% + 30¢).
WooCommerce wins on:
- Flexibility: unlimited customization, any hosting, full code ownership
- Very low volume: under $5k/month where the platform fee dominates
- No transaction fees with any payment processor (unlike Shopify's 2% for 3rd-party gateways)
Use the Shopify fee calculator above to model your specific plan and volume.
Shopify Payments vs Stripe — Which Is Cheaper and When?
Detailed fee comparison between Shopify Payments and a separate Stripe integration — with break-even GMV calculations.
If you're on Shopify, you have two main card processing options: Shopify Payments
(built in, eliminates the transaction fee) or Stripe via third-party gateway
(standard Stripe rates but adds 0.5–2% Shopify transaction fee on top).
Fee comparison: Shopify Payments vs Stripe on Shopify
Plan
Shopify Payments
Stripe + Shopify fee
Difference
Basic
2.0% + 25¢
2.9% + 30¢ + 2.0% = 4.9% + 30¢
+2.9%
Shopify
1.7% + 25¢
2.9% + 30¢ + 1.0% = 3.9% + 30¢
+2.2%
Advanced
1.5% + 25¢
2.9% + 30¢ + 0.5% = 3.4% + 30¢
+1.9%
Shopify Payments is almost always cheaper for stores primarily processing
domestic US Visa/Mastercard. The Shopify transaction fee alone (2% on Basic) is
a large penalty for using Stripe directly.
When Stripe outside Shopify makes sense
You're migrating off Shopify and want to keep your Stripe customer data
You need Stripe-specific features (Radar, Connect, Issuing) not available in Shopify Payments
You're selling in a country where Shopify Payments isn't available
You have subscription revenue that Shopify Payments handles worse than Stripe Billing
For most Shopify stores: use Shopify Payments. The transaction fee penalty
for using Stripe is too high except in the specific cases above.
Tools our audience uses alongside this calculator.
WooCommerceShopify alternative
Open-source e-commerce on WordPress. No monthly platform fee and no transaction fee when using Stripe or PayPal directly — just hosting (~$10–20/mo) and payment processor fees.
No transaction fees on any plan — unlike Shopify's 0.5–2% for third-party gateways. Useful for high-volume stores using non-Shopify-Payments processors.